


Mask

by SeverinadeStrango



Category: Hornblower (TV), Hornblower - C. S. Forester
Genre: Drabble, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 08:37:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12406929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeverinadeStrango/pseuds/SeverinadeStrango
Summary: Lieutenant William Bush wishes that his Captain wouldn't hide so often.





	Mask

**Author's Note:**

> An entry for Day 18 of Tumblr user horrificmemes' "31 Horrific Days v2" challenge. If you enjoy my writing, more of it can be found on my own Tumblr page - the url of which is the same as my username here.

William Bush was loyal to his Captain, he would kill and die for him. But Captain Horatio Hornblower was also his closest and his dearest friend, and as such, he could not help but to be _concerned_ for him after he emerged on the quarterdeck with those same dark circles underneath his eyes that he had been sporting for the third week in a row.

Horatio didn’t get much rest, that was obvious. Sleep didn’t come easy to men like him, men whose minds never once turned off, who thought about everything and anything far more than was necessary. But this time? This time it was worse than usual, Bush could have sworn that the man was going to keel over on deck right there and then but of course his pride wouldn’t let him. At least the hands had been smart enough to finish holystoning the quarterdeck before he had come up to partake in his usual rounds, pacing back and forth and back and forth without any end whatsoever. 

Bush knew better than to try and start any conversations with him – in fact he did not make any sort of connection with him at all, save for touching his hat once with a brief “sir” clipped onto the end of it. But by god, he wished that Horatio wasn’t always so _hard_ on himself – the man would break himself one day! 

In fact, it almost seemed like he broke himself on the regular, but Bush had always been there to help him put himself back together again, even if that meant just holding everything _else_ at bay while Horatio tried to salvage his pride. It had worked thus far, but that had never made it any less painful to watch. Bush had always wished he could do more – he wished that Horatio would let him do more. 

But Horatio was terrified of his own vulnerabilities – William knew him well, even if he took care not to let that on (it would only worry his friend more, who would then start to wonder how many of the _hands_ had noticed). Even if Bush _were_ to take his hand, to pull him into his arms like he wanted to and embrace him until all the fear left his body and mind, Horatio would not accept that – he wouldn’t think that he _deserved_ it, even though William could not think of anyone else more deserving.

And that was perhaps the saddest part of it all.


End file.
